Delta is officially adding Premium Economy, which Delta calls Premium Select, on flights between New York-JFK and Los Angeles (LAX).
Delta Adds Premium Select to Transcon Route
According to the airline’s press release, beginning September 10th, Delta will roll out Premium Select on four of the airline’s 11 peak-day flights between LAX and JFK. Beginning in November, all of the daily flights between the two cities will feature Premium Select.
Flights will be operated using Boeing 767 widebody aircraft that have been equipped with four cabin layout: Delta One, Delta Premium Select, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin. While far from a new plane, Delta’s 767s provide a nice experience for a domestic flight.
Delta states that passengers flying in Premium Select can look forward to elevated dining and additional room to stretch out as the airline delivers this popular product on domestic U.S. transcontinental flights for the first time. Maurico Parise, Vice President – Brand Experience Design at Delta had this to say about the rollout:
“Delta Premium Select will bring a new level of comfort, luxury and practicality to one of Delta’s most important routes in the domestic U.S. as we continue to work to deliver more premium experiences to our customers.”
Maurico Parise, Delta Vice President – Brand Experience Design
Impacts on Frequent Flyers
While Delta is billing this change as a benefit for travelers, many frequent flyers will likely be disappointed by this change. While Premium Select has long been a separate cabin on international flights, Delta has treated the Premium Select cabin as an extension of Comfort+ when flying domestically.
With the change, passengers will now need to be upgraded into these seats from Economy and Comfort+ instead of being able to select them with a Comfort+ ticket. While many frequent flyers, including myself, find the seat to be the most important part of the experience, Delta is upgrading the overall service offerings as part of this change.
While we don’t have all of the details yet, Delta has revealed some of the service additions passengers can expect on the route. According to the press release, customers will have the option to pre-select curated options from Jon & Vinny’s, a local Los Angeles restaurant.
Customers seated in Premium Select on this route will experience a hot towel service, elevated dining experience, and a premium snack basket during the flight.
Premium Select Transcon Flights are On Sale
Delta has put these new, four cabin-flights on sale at Delta.com. I looked at a random weekend in December, after each flight on the route receives the upgraded service offerings, and found the buy up from Comfort+ to Premium Select to be around $450.
Delta’s 767-300s are equipped with a 2-3-2 layout in Economy/Comfort+ and a 2-2-2 layout in Premium Select. While the Premium Select seats are essentially domestic First Class recliners, which many airlines operate on the route, the price is hard for me to justify since the Economy experience on this plane is better than average.
Summary
Delta will begin selling Premium Select on flights between Los Angeles and New York-JFK in September and will expand to all flights between the two airports in November. While the change will lead to improved service options in the Premium Select cabin, this is likely a downgrade for frequent flyers that have become accustomed to being able to book Premium Select seats when flying in Comfort+.
